One of my goals for 2017 was to do more video. But, with the chaos of moving twice, getting engaged, and a bevy of other reasons (tech intimidation was huge), I never got around to it. Before the year ended, I wanted to get a video made come hell or high water! So, today I'm taking you on a tour of my new home office. View directly on YouTube if you can't see it below.
When Steve and I were house shopping, one of the must-haves on our list was a nice office space for me since I work from home. I've worked at home for over 5 years now since starting Authentically Social. There are days when I'm in this office for 10+ hours, depending on deadlines, so having a dedicated space that is both aesthetically pleasing and functional is a must.
My old office was in my basement. It was a large room with a large walk in closet, but not much natural light – just 2 small basement windows. I combatted this by making the walls very bright, and adding a large mirror to bounce some light. Natural light was a MUST in this new office. Unfortunately, I overlooked that there isn't any overhead light in this room. It was a formal room with a piano and a couple of lamps, so I didn't notice it. The electrician can easily put lights in, but I don't want to deal with a drywall mess now so I'm living on lamps and natural light. It's working for now!
My office is right off of my front entry, so I needed a space that would match the style of the rest of the decor, but I also needed to be able to WORK in it! The size and shape of the room was a little bit perplexing, so after moving furniture around a few times, I had Erika of PDR Interiors come over to help with space planning. She measured everything I had that was existing, as well as the room, and provided some ideas for how items could be oriented. I was also able to pass along items I was contemplating and ask if the dimensions were ok. This was essential, because the last thing I wanted to do was waste time or money on bringing in-and then returning- furniture. PDR Interiors was also who I called when I needed help selecting paint colors before listing my house.
I was able to use a few things that I had in my new house. A vibrant printed chair from my old kitchen, for example. And existing artwork. I knew I had to use my existing desk chair (Herman Miller Aeron) because it's incredibly comfortable and functional.
When I sold my house, I knew I wasn't going to bring my old office furniture with me. It was heavy industrial metal stuff that my dad got from a company he worked for that shut down in the early 1980s. I wanted to make this space feel fresh, and also not confining. It's smaller than my old office, and I needed a desk that both fit the room and also accommodated my mega monitor and had plenty of room for spreading papers and such out. Glass was the way to go since it floats in the room, but it didn't seem like it would be practical as most glass top desks or tables that have the large surface area don't have drawers. Enter this desk:
It's the Pangea Home Beverly Desk (large size), however I purchased it from Wayfair under the name Brayden Home Santamaria Desk. I'm not sure why Wayfair changes the names of the items, but the boxes I received were for sure Pangea Home. I sent the dimensions to Erika to confirm it'd fit in the space before purchasing it. As soon as she said it would, I ordered it! It took Steve and I about 45 minutes to put together, but that also included time for us to fix the area rug about 10 times under it. It is very well made – all the metal pieces fit in perfectly, and the tempered glass is crazy sturdy. A fun surprise? The drawers are soft close! Watch my little demo in the tour video at the top of this post.
I needed a space to house my printer and some supplies, so I ended up purchasing a small cabinet that could go between both windows
Here's a full list of #AllTheThings:
- Desk, Wayfair
- 2 Door Chest, Wayfair
- “Coffee, Instagram, Email, Repeat” canvas, HomeGoods
- Corner chair, HomeGoods (previously in my kitchen)
- Desk Chair, Herman Miller Aeron
- Horse print, “Keeneland Breeze” by Kayla Weber Art
- “I will not compare myself to strangers on the internet” print, Emily McDowell Studio
- Painting on wall behind desk, painted by my dad
- Area rug, HomeGoods
- Standing Lamp, Target
- Desk lamp, HomeGoods (old – may replace with a larger one soon)
- Fake flowers on desk, HomeGoods (old)
- Christmas tree, tree topper, and ornaments: Target
- On the wall – my Ladies Home Journal spread, diplomas, Kentucky Colonel
Once Christmas is over, I may put my 2nd printed chair back in here (matches the one in the corner), or maybe will look for a corner bookshelf or etagere.
Let me know if you have any questions! Also, let me know if you want more video, and what you'd like me to cover. If you're not already, please subscribe to my YouTube channel here.
